


The Legend of Zelda: Into the Link Verse

by Movielover52



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Character Death, Gen, hero of time needs a hug, kind of a spiderverse AU, link is way in over his head, no beta we die like men, some blood mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22531819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Movielover52/pseuds/Movielover52
Summary: Link is just an average kid going about his day. Things get strange when a bright flash of light appeared in the sky. According to the legends, when evil threatened Hyrule, and a hero would rise up to defeat it. Could this mean dark times are ahead? Link gets his answer when he runs into a stranger in green also named Link. Link promises to help save Hyrule by keeping a piece of an ancient relic out of Ganondorf's hands. During his quest, he runs into several other Links from different points in time.Based off of Into the Spider Verse
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my head for a while, and I can't believe I'm actually writing this down. May add tags as I go. This is going to be fun!
> 
> Thanks to [Fffsteak](https://twitter.com/Fffsteak) for betaing!
> 
> Enjoy!

Sunlight poured into the bedroom of a small house in Edon village. Within the room, a teen sat asleep at his desk. Papers were littered across the surface. Some were blank, and some had words written on them. The boy’s head rested on his arms, and beneath him was a sheet of paper of his most recent writing. 

A yawn came from the teenager as he stretched his arms; the paper stuck to his face. He sat there for a few moments to allow himself to wake up a bit more. His eyes opened in surprise as he realized what was on his face. He quickly removed the paper from his face as he looked at it with concern. About half of it was smudged, and Link sighed as he placed it back onto the desk. 

“Man, it took me forever to even get to this part. Crap, now I have to rewrite the whole fight.” 

Link grabbed a new sheet and was about to start writing again when a voice called out to him. 

“Link! Breakfast is ready!” 

“Coming!” 

He stood up and made his way to the kitchen. The aroma of fresh food filled his nostrils. Blue eyes landed on the food, and he almost drooled at the sight of eggs and biscuits. 

“Is that ink on your face? Again?” His mother questioned. She brought a wet rag to his cheek and wiped away the ink. 

“Ugh, mom!” Link whined. He sat down at the table when she finished. 

“Probably stayed up late writing that silly story again. You're a man now; you need to start thinking about your future,” His father said. 

Link blew some of his blond hair out of his face as he pouted at the comment. His father never really approved his hobby. He had always lectured Link that he should spend his time doing something more useful. He started cutting into his eggs, and the taste of food instantly put him in a better mood. 

“I trust that you’re still up for helping Osim fix his fence today?" 

Link’s mouth was full of food, so he could only respond with a nod. He finished up his meal and went back to his room to change into some fresh clothes. Link threw on a light brown tunic and a pair of black pants. Once he put on his shoes, he left the house to make his way over to Osim’s place. Osim owned a horse ranch, and part of the fence where the horses roamed needed repairs, which Link offered to help out with. 

His mind instantly began to wander as he walked through the village. He thought of all kinds of scenarios. Link had never traveled anywhere before, so he would listen intently to the tales of travelers that would occasionally pass through. He used their descriptions as inspirations for coming up with exotic settings. 

Link was so lost in thought that he would have walked right past his destination if Osim didn’t call out his name. 

“Morning!” Link greeted. 

“I hope you weren’t planning on avoiding this fence,” Osim jested. Link smiled and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Sorry, I was lost in thought.” 

“Well, this fence isn’t going to mend itself; I’ll grab my tools. Would you mind fetching the wood? It’s by the stable.” 

Link nodded and walked towards the stable. He eyed a small pile of wood and bent down to pick it up. He could hear the sounds of horses coming from inside. Stepping inside, there were three of them. One mare had her head poked out of its stall. Link went closer to her and extended a hand to her muzzle. Her name was Macy, and she had a dark brown coat with a few large, white spots. 

“Hey there, girl.” 

He gently petted her before leaving to join Osim. These horses were itching to walk around. The sooner this fence got fixed, the better. As they worked on the fence, they talked about things such as the latest gossip. At one point, Osim asked Link is he had his eye on a special someone. Link smiled and shook his head in reply. He honestly didn't why people were always asking him stuff like that, especially when the answer was always the same. It was late afternoon by the time they were finished, and Link was starving. 

“That should just about do it. Thanks for your help, lad.” 

“Anytime!” 

Link bid him farewell and began the short trek back to his house to eat and maybe get more of his story written down. On his way back, he saw a woman struggling to carry some large bags. Maybe not. Link approached her. 

“Need some help?” 

“Yes, please!” 

Just as he was about to grab one of the bags, a white beam of light appeared in the sky. Link had to shield his eyes when he turned his head to the direction of the light. It only lasted a few seconds, but what followed was a quake that shook the village. Many people were trying to keep their balance, while some struggled to keep their stuff from falling. The lady Link was helping dropped one of her bags, but Link luckily caught it. The trembling stopped. 

“What was that?” The woman asked. 

“I don’t know.” 

Link finished helping her and quickly returned to his house. His mother immediately rushed to him the moment he stepped foot through the doorway. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? I rushed home as soon as I could.” 

She looked him over to make sure he didn’t have any injuries. 

“Yes, mom, I’m fine.” 

Link took a step back and smiled at her, and she looked at him in relief. 

“I just hope your father is all right.” 

“I’m sure he’s fine.” 

Voices excitedly called out Link’s name. Outside, several little kids crowding around his house. Edon, Mina, Azi, Ciri, and Joel had often come by to have Link tell them stories. 

“Need something?” 

“We want to listen to a story!” Edon declared. 

“Didn’t I tell you one yesterday?” 

“Yea, but everything was shaking, and we were really scared, and we were hoping that you could make us feel better,” Mina explained. 

Each of the kids gave him a pleading look, and Link gave an amused sigh. 

“Okay, okay, come on.” 

The group moved to the side of the house, with the children sitting in a semi-circle around Link. 

\----- 

“Up head, an enormous lynel appeared!” Link exclaimed. He held up two sticks to his head to portray horns and gave a playful growl. The children smiled and laughed at his performance. This was the part he loved the most, to see the smiles on their faces. 

“Perhaps, we should go through Padoh Ridge instead?” Link asked, in a feminine voice. He then spoke in a gravelly voice. “That would take too long!” 

“Fight it! You have to!” Ciri shouted. Some of the other kids shushed her. 

“Fighting the lynel would be risky, and Jen didn’t want to see his friends hurt. On the other hand, while going around would be safer, it would take more time. They couldn’t waste any more time, so he made his decision,” Link narrated. He deepened his voice. “We fight! Here’s the plan.” 

Sounds of voices calling the children home for dinner interrupted them, much to the children’s disappointment. They reluctantly left to go home, with Link promising to finish later. Link went back inside, where his mother asked him to help prepare their dinner. 

His father came home from work by the time they were done. 

“Are you okay, dear? You weren’t hurt during the quake earlier today?” his mother asked. 

“Yes, everything’s fine,” his father replied. 

They all sat down to eat. 

“Do you think it had anything to do with that bright light?” Link asked. 

“Possibly, but it’s nothing you should worry about. I do need you to be more careful when wandering around. I’ve been told that there has been an increase in monster attacks,” his father replied. 

“You don’t think any will show up around here, do you?” his mother asked. 

“I’m sure the Goddess will keep us safe.” 

No more was said on the topic. When dinner was finished, Link headed straight to his room. When he tried working on his writing, he couldn’t keep himself from thinking about what happened earlier. For a moment, he wondered if it meant something terrible would happen. He heard the tales of a hero clad in green rising to defeat the evil time and time again. Hylia’s chosen hero, Link, for whom he was named after, had ventured all over the world doing impossible things. 

Link sighed. He was never going to get this done. He lightly smacked his cheeks and made himself stay focused. He managed to get a little further in the story, however, he faced a new obstacle of writer’s block. He wasn’t sure how to end it. There were a couple different directions to take, but none of them felt quite right. 

_Perhaps...no...unless. How would I get it to make sense? Ugh._

Link leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. It was pitch black outside, and Link began to feel exhausted. Figuring that he wasn’t going to get anywhere anytime soon, he decided to call it a night. He blew out his lamp and crawled into bed. He stared up at the ceiling; thoughts swirled in his mind. Eventually, sleep came. 

~~\-------------------~~ ~~~~

Link was about to leave his house when his father stopped him.

"I've been talking to Eva, and she said that she might be able to hire someone to help her with the shop. You should talk to her when you get the chance," he told Link. The last place Link wanted to work at was some boring store. His displeasure must have shown on his face because his father frowned. "I don't want to hear any complaints. You are going to go and talk to her."

"Fine," Link sighed.

He left the house and strolled through the village on his way to a nearby pond. It was one of his favorite places he liked to visit when he needed to think. Eva was nice and all, but he couldn't see himself as a store assistant. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life, but it wasn't there. He passed by Mina, who was clutching a large stick to her chest. She was looking at the woods in distress. 

“Is something the matter?” 

“It’s my dog. I couldn’t find her this morning. I looked everywhere, and I’m scared that she got lost in the woods.” 

“What’s her name?” 

“Cora.” 

“I’ll find Cora, so don’t worry.” 

“Really?” 

Link nodded, and she beamed at him. He headed to the forest, but there was a tug at his sleeve, which stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see that it was Mina. She held out the stick to him. 

“My papa said that going into the forest is dangerous.” 

“Uh, thanks.” 

Link smiled at her and took the stick from her. The sound of crunching leaves could be heard as Link treaded through the forest. He called out the dog’s name a few times to no avail. He tapped his stick on the trees as he passed by them. He wondered if he would ever be able to find her. 

Barking could be heard from the distance, and Link sprinted closer to the source. As he got closer, he could see some figures surrounding a small, growling dog. That must be Cora, and those must be monsters Link’s father mentioned. He wasn’t sure what they were exactly, but they somewhat match the description of a bokoblin from the stories. There were three of them and were carrying clubs. All Link had was a stick. Not that it would have mattered much, because he didn’t know how to fight. 

Still, he had promised Mina that he would get her dog, and a promise was a promise. He took a deep breath before trying to come up with a plan of attack. 

He could charge at them and tackle one of them. Once he did that, he could wrestle the club out of its hand. However, they would mostly strike him down before he even got the chance to do so. Okay then, he could sneak up on them and catch them by surprise. He could jump on one of their backs and go for the eyes to blind it. That would result in the weapon being dropped on the ground, which Link could use. But there was a chance that he would be spotted. 

He saw one of them raise their weapon to strike. He needed to act fast and decided to charge at them. He shoved one to the ground, but another one swung their club down on him. He tried to dodge and was almost successful, but they struck his arm. He gripped his arm in pain, and his eyes landed on the dog. 

Gritting his teeth, he threw the stick at one of the bokoblin’s face and picked up Cora. He ran as fast as he could back to the village, but the bokoblins were right behind him. He felt himself run out of stamina but tried to push himself. A shout from the right caused the bokoblins to stop their pursuit. Link also slowed down to see what it was. 

Coming down the incline was a person running. No, not running, but sliding. They were sliding down the slope on their shield. They used a rock as a ramp to soar through the air and slashed one of the bokoblins. Now that Link got a better look at who the person was, it was a boy. He looked to be about Link’s age, maybe a little older, and had dark blond hair. But what stood out the most was the fact that he was wearing a green tunic, white pants, and a green hat. 

One of the bokoblins swung at the stranger, which he easily dodged. As he fought off the bokoblins, Link couldn’t help but marvel out this person’s skills. He’s never seen anyone fight as well as the stranger. Granted, he had rarely seen anyone fight; still, this guy knew his way around a sword. 

Once they were all defeated, the boy in green sheathed his sword. He let out a sigh before turning to face Link. 

There was no mistaking it. This was the hero from countless legends. The one who stood before him was _the_ Link. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: character death in this chapter.

“I am so tired,” the person said to himself. He spotted Link. “Oh, hi.” 

“Hi,” Link replied. He looked over at the dead bokoblins and then back at the stranger, who sheathed his sword. “Those clothes. By any chance, are you the hero named Link?” 

The other Link nodded. 

“Cool. You’re a really good fighter.” 

“Oh, thanks.” 

Link berated himself internally. Was that really the best he could come up with? Cora started to squirm in Link’s arms. Oh, that’s right he needed to get back. 

“My village is this way if you're looking for a place to sleep for the night.” 

“That would be nice. Thanks.” 

Sunlight shone through the trees and onto the other Link as he smiled at Link. It looked like he was glowing, and Link felt his face heat up. He quickly turned away so that the other Link wouldn’t see his face. He started walking in the direction of his village, and the other Link followed him. They walked side by side, and Link couldn’t help but glance at the hero. He had a brown satchel, but what caught Link’s eye what his sword. It looked like a regular sword that you could find anywhere. 

“Hey, I was wondering, where’s the master sword?” 

“Oh, I uh haven’t gotten it yet. I will get it after I return to Hyrule Castle.” 

“What’s the castle like? I’ve always wanted to know!” 

Before the other Link could respond, he stopped and looked around cautiously. He unsheathed his sword. 

“You should get out of here.” 

“Wha—” 

“Go!” 

Link ran off leaving the other one behind. He hurried away but stopped when another voice called out. He hid behind a large tree and peeked from the side to see what he could best describe as someone who looked exactly like the hero. However, his clothes were black and had white hair. His skin looked to be the color of ash, which made his bright red eyes stand out. 

“You have something my master wants. Hand it over.” 

“No.” 

The person in black slashed at the other Link, who was able to block the attack. Link knew that he should leave the area but was rooted in the spot. The dog began squirming again and started to whimper. He placed the dog on the ground and ushered it to run back to the village. Luckily, the dog decided to run off instead of barking up a storm. Link turned around to continue watching the fight. 

Nothing could be heard except for metal clashing against metal. The other Link’s opponent mirrored all of his moves, and the other Link only got one or two hits in. When he lunged his sword forward, his doppelganger jumped up and landed on top of his sword. The doppelganger attempted to sliced down onto the other Link’s head but was blocked by a shield. 

“I should try to help him,” Link said quietly to himself. He took a step forward. The dark figure’s blade became surrounded by a dark aura and came into contact with the other Link’s arm leaving a gash. Purplish-bluish smoke surrounded his head, causing him to drop his weapon. Link leaned back against the tree. “Who am I kidding? I should not do that.” 

He peeked out to see that the other Link had trouble defending himself. Not only could he not use anything, but his movements made him appear as if he were dizzy. The doppelganger became more aggressive with his attacks, and all the other Link could do was dodge. At some point, he tried to go for his sword, but his doppelganger managed to get there before him and kicked the sword further away. There were a couple of close calls that only left him with small wounds on his shoulder and waist. The smoke eventually dissipated, and he was able to fight properly again. 

He quickly dug through his bag and pulled out a bomb. Link wondered why he had a bomb. The other Link hastily lit the fuse and threw it at his doppelganger, who lunged at him to strike. His blade came into contact with the bomb causing it to explode. 

Link tried to take cover and fell forward due to the blast. He got up and glanced around to see what happened. He spotted the hero lying on the ground nearby. It appeared that he had flown back several feet from the blast. The doppelganger was nowhere in sight. Running up to the hero, Link turned him over to check if he was all right. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and there was some blood on his face. The other Link sat up with a groan and looked at him with surprise. 

“I thought I told you to run,” he said, with a slight annoyance in his tone. 

“Are you okay?” Link asked, ignoring what he said. 

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine,” he replied. He stood up, with the help of Link, and clutched his side in pain. He dug through his satchel in search of something but sighed. It was obvious that he didn’t have what he was looking for. He looked around worriedly before going through his satchel again. He pulled out a grey cube and handed it to Link. “I need you to take this.” 

“What?” 

“I can’t risk Ganondorf getting his hands on it. Go to Hyrule Castle and give it to Princess Zelda. She’ll know what to do.” 

“I-I don't think I can.” 

“What’s your name?” 

Link felt his face heat up a bit as he looked down in embarrassment. 

“It’s Link.” 

The hero chuckled as he placed his forehead on Link’s forehead. 

“Well, Link, I believe that you can. Promise me that you’ll help.” 

“I promise. But what about you?” 

The hero smiled at him, but there was something in his eyes that looked like sorrow. 

“I’ll catch up as soon as I can. Don’t worry; I’ll be fine.” 

Link reluctantly left the hero behind. However, he stopped when he heard a commotion. Staying out of sight, he saw that the hero’s doppelganger was still alive. Though, he seemed to have gotten some injuries himself. Link should be sneaking away; he knew that there was nothing he could do. So why? Was is it because he didn’t want to leave the hero behind like this? Was it because of fear? He wasn’t sure. A voice interrupted him from his thoughts. 

“Hand it over. I won’t tell you again,” the look-alike demanded. 

“I don’t have it.” 

“What do you mean you don’t have it?” 

The other Link's was nearby, and it seemed like he noticed that too. He slowly took a step closer to his weapon. 

“I hid it a while ago." 

“No, you didn’t.” 

“Did you really think I would let you have it that easily? You’ll never find it.” 

He leaped toward his sword but received a kick to the stomach. He fell to the ground and gripped his side. His doppelganger grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him. There was neither a sound of wildlife scurrying about nor the leaves rustling in the wind. Everything seemed to stand still as the two stared at each other. The silence was broken when his doppelganger plunged his sword into the other Link’s chest. 

Link’s eyes widened in horror at what he saw. He hid behind the tree before he could be seen. He covered his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from making any sound. There was a sound of rustling and something being thrown to the ground. He heard the person cursed in annoyance. Link stood unable to move as he hoped for the person to leave. His heart was beating fast, and he feared that the other man could hear it. A drop of sweat slid down his face. 

Eventually, he could hear footsteps retreating. Link slowly slid down until he was sitting. He stared straight ahead in disbelief. His hand was still covering his mouth, and he held the relic closely to him. He couldn’t believe he had witnessed. There was no way the hero was dead. After a few minutes, he found himself able to move. He stood up and slowly inched his way closer to where the fallen hero lied. He stared at the lifeless body as his vision began to blur. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he tried his best to wipe them away. He felt like it was his fault this had happened. If he hadn’t just stood there, if he had done something, then maybe the hero would still be alive. 

Who was going to save Hyrule now? Link looked at the relic in his hand. If he could get this to the princess, then there might still be hope. That begged another question. Could he even deliver it to her? He was not a traveler by any means, and not to mention the roads were becoming dangerous. What if he ran into that Link look-alike? He wouldn't stand a chance in a fight. But this was something he had to do no matter what. He wasn’t going to let other Link die in vain.

He spotted the discarded satchel on the ground and picked it up. Opening it up, he saw that there wasn’t much in it. There was a grappling hook, a boomerang, and an empty glass bottle. He placed the relic inside and put the strap over his shoulder.

Link looked back at the hero. He couldn’t just leave him there like this. Link moved the hero until he was lying at a nice spot by a tree. Looking around, he spotted the sword and picked it up. He put it in one of the hero’s hands and placed both hands on his chest. Link glanced around, trying to figure out what else he could do. His eyes landed on a giant rock, which gave him an idea. He spent the next couple of hours gathering as many rocks as he could and built a grave cairn over the hero’s body.

Once finished, he gave it a once-over. It wasn't the best grave, but it would have to do. He wanted to say a few words, but he couldn't come up with anything to say. Link didn't know him that well, and he felt a sense of guilt. He wished he had some flowers to place on the grave, but there were none nearby. He opted for a moment of silence, and the forest was also quiet as if it were mourning Hyrule's loss. After several minutes, Link turned away and headed back to Edon village. When he reached his house, the sun had already begun to set. He entered the home, and all he wanted to do was go to his room. 

“Link! Just where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!” His mother scolded him. 

He got misty-eyed and ran up to hug her. He held onto her as she might slip away. 

“What going on?” His father asked. 

“I’m not sure,” she replied. She gently patted Link’s back “What wrong? Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Link answered quietly. “I just need some time alone.” 

Without waiting for a response, he headed to his room and shut the door. He removed the satchel and placed it on his chair. He plopped down onto his bed, and a wave of exhaustion hit him. His eyes drifted closed, and he was about to fall asleep until a knock startled him. The door opened to reveal that it was his mother. 

“Hey, sweet pea, are you okay?” 

She walked closer to him and placed a hand on his forehead. 

“Yeah, I’m just a little tired.” 

Link gave her a little smile. 

“Okay, well, dinner is ready.” 

Link nodded, and she left the room. Sighing, he got up and left his room to go eat. At the table, he lazily stirred the bowl of soup with his spoon. His parents were having a conversation, but he wasn’t paying much attention to what they were saying. 

“Link, are you listening?” his father’s voice interrupted his thoughts. 

“You’ve been acting strange since you got home. Please tell us what’s wrong,” his mother said. 

He continued to stare at his soup. He didn’t know how to tell them that he was planning on leaving the village. So, he was just going to come out and say it. 

“I need to go to Castle Town.” 

He looked up to see both of them staring at him expectantly. 

“That’s a two-day trip. Why, in the name of Hylia, do you need to go all the way to Castle Town?” his father questioned. 

“Well, I have to go to the castle. There’s something that I need to, uh, deliver to...the princess.” 

“And that is?” 

“I don’t exactly know what it is, but it was found in a temple. I believe it caused that quake—” 

“What were you doing going into a temple? And what have we told you about wandering far from the village?” his mother asked, in a scolding manner. 

“I wasn’t—” 

“You could have been hurt!” 

“That’s not—” 

“Your mother’s right.” 

Link gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. 

“Listen! I didn’t do anything! It was given to me, and I promised I would go!” 

“Who gave it to you?” 

“Link. You know, the hero from the stories.” 

“And why isn’t he the one delivering whatever it is to Princess Zelda?” his mother questions. 

Link lowered his head and looked down at his hands. Memories of that moment flooded his mind. 

“Because he...” Link couldn’t finish his sentence. “I just...this is something I have to do.” 

“Still, I don’t want you to go. It’s too dangerous,” his mother said. 

“But all of Hyrule could be in danger!” 

“Then you can have someone else go.” 

“But—” 

“It’s settled. Now finish your food,” his father demanded. 

Irked, Link stood up and mumbled that he wasn’t hungry. He marched to his room and shut the door. He fell onto his bed and screamed into his pillow. Once he released his frustrations, he looked over to where the satchel was sitting on his chair. He got up and went over to it. Opening it up, he picked up the old relic and sat back down on his bed. 

He turned it around to get a better look at it. It felt smooth in his hands, and it had something protruding from the bottom. There wasn’t much on it except for an engraving on one of the sides. From the bottom, there was a shape that looked like an upside-down teardrop and three lines that surrounded it. Just above that was the crest of the Royal Family. He wondered what this thing was. 

Suddenly, the door opened, and his father walked in. Link put the relic down next to him. His father stood in front of him, but Link didn’t look up at him. 

“Your mother and I didn't appreciate your attitude.” 

“I know. I’m sorry.” 

He could hear his father sigh and felt the weight shift on the bed next to him. 

“Your heart is still set on going?” 

“I made a promise that I would help, and you always told me to keep my promises,” Link said, looking at his father. 

“That I did.” 

“Besides, didn’t you name me Link in hopes that I will be chosen to save Hyrule? Shouldn’t you be happy that I get the opportunity to do this?” 

“You’re not the hero, Link.” 

“No, but this is as close as it gets. At least it’s still something you can finally be proud of.” 

Link looked away. There was a moment of silence before he heard his father sigh. 

“Get some sleep, son.” 

Link received a pat on his shoulder before his father got up and left his room. His eyes looked down to the relic that was still next to him. He picked it up and placed it back in the satchel. He then got ready for bed and fell asleep. 

~~\---------------------~~

Link had gotten up early the next morning before his parents had woken up. He had decided that he was going to leave anyway. He had packed some food and anything else that he had thought he would need and was now walking toward the entrance of the village. Despite it being so early, some people were already leaving their homes to start their day. Still, the village was fairly quiet. He was used to being out much later in the day when it was full of life.

He tightly gripped the strap of his satchel. Part of him wanted to turn around and head home, but he took in a deep breath and continued with determination. As he approached the entrance, he saw a figure standing by a horse. As he got closer, he saw that the person was his father. He stopped in his tracks. 

“Father, what are you doing here?” Link asked. 

“I could ask you the same thing. I hope you aren't planning on walking there.” 

Link smiled at him while he rubbed the back of his neck. His father handed him the reins to the horse. The horse was one of Osim’s own, the mare with a dark brown coat and large, white spots. 

“I thought you didn’t want me to go?” 

“Well, it seems you’re leaving no matter what we say, so I want you to at least be safe.” 

His father bent down to grab something that was leaning next to a wooden beam. It was a sword complete with a scabbard. 

“I don’t know how to use one.” 

“I would prefer that you have something to protect yourself with than nothing at all.” 

He handed the weapon to Link, who took it graciously. He secured the belt around his waist and went up next to the horse. 

“Just follow this path and keep a look out for signposts, and you'll get there eventually. Now, Osimallowed you to borrow Macy here on the promise that you take good care of her. That means you come straight back once you’re done. No detours.” 

“Will do.” 

Link lifted himself onto Macy and got settled. 

“Hey, son,” His father began to say, and Link looked at him. It looked like there was something he wanted to say but decided against it. “Watch yourself out there.” 

Link smiled and nodded at him. He got the horse to trot, and with that, he was off. Part of him was nervous, but he had never been more excited than he was right now. For the first time in his life, he was going to see what the world had to offer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

No one had ever told Link just how boring traveling actually was. It had only been three hours since he left, but it felt much longer. It would have been interesting if there was something to look at. There was nothing but trees, trees, and oh look, more trees. He tried humming to himself to past the time and went as far as making conversation with Macy, but he got bored again. Not to mention, his butt started to hurt from sitting so long. 

It was rather lonely too. It was usually right about now that he would be swarmed by some of the children. He realized that they were probably disappointed by his sudden absence. After this trip, he might have a story or two to tell them, so hopefully, they would forgive him. Knowing them, they might end up having a hundred questions about the castle and Princess Zelda. Link’s heartbeat sped up at the thought of meeting her. Not once had he ever imagined that he would get such an opportunity. He had heard that the princess was exceptionally beautiful. He hoped she was just as kind. 

Eventually, the sea of trees ended, and he reached the large fields of Hyrule. There were patches of flowers scattered here and there, and there were a doe and her fawn meandering across the grass. Part of him wanted to get off his horse and just lie in the grass. In the far-off distance, he could see some mountains. The world seemed so huge, and it all was at risk of being destroyed. Link shook his head to stop himself from spiraling down that line of thinking. 

The pain started to become unbearable, and Link tried shifting in the saddle. However, he gave up and decided to walk for a bit. He looked up at the large clouds rolling in. He petted Macy’s neck. 

“What do you think, girl? Think we might run into a little rain?” 

Macy only snorted, and Link sighed. He came up to a fork in the road. 

“Looks like it’s this way,” Link mumbled to himself. He turned to the left and spotted a pond. “I say we take a short break.” 

He led Macy to the water where she began drinking. His stomach rumbled, so he dug through his satchel for some food and pulled out some bread. Unwrapping it from its cloth, he took a bite out of the small loaf. He finished the bread quickly and was tempted to eat some more food. He figured that he should save the rest for later, so he would need to settle with this for now. 

Looking around, his eyes landed on a tree that had some apples. He smiled; it looks like he would be able to fill his stomach after all. He climbed up the tree and grabbed as much as he could. He placed them inside his bag. After jumping down, he took a bite from the apple, and it was the juiciest thing he ever had. Something in the distance caught his eye. He squinted his eyes, and it looked like the figure of a person. 

It was the first person Link had seen since he started, and he was hoping the person would come closer. It would be nice to talk to someone even if it was for a little while. He smiled and waved at the person, but they sauntered off. Link was a little disappointed but shrugged it off. He walked back to his horse and hoisted himself onto the saddle. He steered Macy back to the road and continued onward. 

An hour had passed when the first of the raindrops landed on Link’s face and was quickly followed by a downpour. He groaned as his clothes began to get soaked. He debated on whether he should take shelter under some nearby trees or not. He needed to reach the nearest village before it got dark, but he didn’t be out in the rain any longer than he was. The rain started to fall harder, so he opted to wait it out. 

As he approached a large tree, he noticed a cloaked sitting by the trunk. He couldn’t see who they were since the hood covered their face. He got off his horse and walked closer. 

“Hello, do you mind if I sit here? It’s raining kind of badly.” 

The stranger didn’t reply, so Link took it upon himself to sit down. He heard a snore came from the person. Ah, so they were asleep. Link stared at the rain as he hoped it would let up soon. He wondered how his mother was handling all this. He imagined her giving his father an earful for letting him go, and Link smiled at the thought. He looked over to the sleeping stranger. He pretty much was hidden underneath the cloak. The only things visible were the white tights and brown boots. 

Feeling bored, Link stood up and drew his sword. It felt a little heavy in his hand, and he let his fingers drag across the flat side of the blade. He started to slash the air while imagining that he was fighting his enemies. He felt like a character from one of his stories. 

“Your stance is terrible,” a deep voice said. 

Link almost dropped his sword and turned around to see the stranger looking at him. 

“What?” 

“I said your stance is terrible.” 

The man’s voice sounded a little hoarse as if it hadn’t been used in a while. 

“I never learned how to fight before.” 

"Hmph.” 

Link noticed the rain had stopped, and the stranger stood up. He walked past Link toward the road while Link went to his horse. 

“So, where are you going?” Link asked. 

“Nowhere in particular.” 

“Well, if you continue in this direction, then you’ll eventually reach Castle Town.” 

“Then I guess that’s where I’m going.” 

“I’m heading there too; we could travel together." 

The stranger gave a noncommittal sound. Link hopped back onto Macy and caught up to the stranger. 

“By the way, my name’s Link.” 

The man froze in his tracks, and Link stopped as well. There was a moment of silence before the man spoke. 

“Want my advice, kid? Learn how to use that sword of yours, or you won’t last long.” 

Link just stared at him, but the man just resumed walking. So, the two continued down the road together in awkward silence. At least, it felt that way to Link. It was nice to have someone else around, but he wished the man would say something. It would help keep his mind off things. He could try starting a conversation, but what would he ask the guy? 

He began to think about Castle Town. What was it like? Was it a big town? There was probably so much to do there. What about Hyrule Castle itself? Link had always imagined that it was so tall that it touched the clouds. Perhaps, the stranger has been there before. Before Link could ask, the man spoke up. 

“So, why exactly are you heading to Castle Town?” 

“As I said, I need to deliver something important to her.” 

“Right. And that is?” 

Link pulled out the weird cube from his satchel. 

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s important. I think it has something to do with that weird thing that happened a couple of days ago. Apparently, Ganondorf is looking for it, so I got to make sure he never gets his hands on it.” 

Link directed that question more at himself than the stranger. Instead, the man held out his hand toward Link. Link leaned down to place the object onto his hand, and the man looked at it in an appraisal. 

“I take it that this came from a temple?” 

“Yeah, how did you know?” 

The man shrugged. 

“Where was this temple?” 

“Why?” 

There was no response. The next thing Link knew was that he was being yanked off his saddle. He landed on his side with a hard thud. He let out a grunt and rolled onto his back in time to see that the man had jumped onto Macy. Link stood up, gripping his arm as the stranger went off in the opposite direction. 

“Hey!” 

This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening! Day one, and things were already wrong; his father was going to kill him. Link ran after the man as fast as he could. Fortunately, the stranger didn’t get far before Macy reared and started bucking. He fell off the horse and onto his back. Link caught up to him and picked up the relic that had fallen out of the man’s grasp when he landed hard on the ground. 

The stranger began to sit up as he cursed at Macy. The hood of his cloak had fallen, and Link got a clear look at the man’s face. He seemed to be in his thirties. He had dark blue eyes and long blonde hair that was tied back. There were a couple of loose strands of hair framing his face. He wore light blue earrings and had a long scar on the left side of his face. 

Link drew his sword and pointed it at the man in hopes that he would leave Link alone. He didn’t think he could hurt the guy and was hoping it wouldn’t escalate to that. Instead, the man stood up and took out his sword. Within seconds, Link was disarmed and had a blade at his throat. His eyes drifted to the man’s clothing that was now in full view. He was wearing a green tunic with a brown belt. Underneath the tunic was a white, long-sleeved undershirt. His outfit looked similar to the hero’s green garb, with some minor differences. Not to mention, the tunic looked tattered. 

If Link didn’t know any better, he would say that this man was Link, the hero. But he couldn’t be, Link watched the real one die. So, how? 

“Who are you?” 

“Nobody.” 

Link could have sworn he saw a hint of sorrow in the man’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. The stranger sheathed his sword and started to look around. Link held up the relic. 

“Looking for this?” 

“Give it.” 

“No!” 

The man swiped at Link’s legs, causing him to fall to the ground. The relic was forcibly taken from his hand, and Link stood up. He grabbed his weapon and placed it back in its scabbard. The man walked away, but Link caught up to him. He tried to grab it, but the man pushed him away. 

“I need it to help Hyrule!” 

“And I need it to go home!” 

“What do you mean?” 

“In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m not exactly from here.” 

“So, you really are Link? I don’t believe it! Why are your clothes so shabby? And why do you look so... experienced?” 

“I’m pretty sure you just called me old.” 

“How is this possible?” 

The older Link shrugged his shoulders and walked away with Link following him. 

“Wait, this is perfect! _You_ can go save Hyrule. You know? Defeat Ganon and all that!” Link exclaimed, with excitement. The older Link sighed. 

“I’m not in the hero business anymore, kid. When I figure out how this thing works, I’m jumping straight back to my time.” 

“But Hyrule is in danger!” 

“Hyrule is always in danger. And as always, a hero shows up. That’s you this time.” 

“But I’m not the hero.” 

“Sure, you are. A blond hair kid named Link equipped with a sword going to see Zelda. Pretty sure that means you are one.” 

“You don’t understand. I’m just a no one. I met the real hero; he’s the one who gave me this thing.” 

The older Link stopped and stared at Link in confusion. 

“Let me get this straight. Do you mean to tell me that multiple people decided to name their kid Link? And where the hell is the actual Link?” 

“He was killed by someone who looked exactly like him, but they were wearing black and had red eyes.” 

“Dark Link.” 

The older Link’s comment was nothing more of a whisper, but Link heard him. 

“You know him?” 

“I fought him once,” the older Link said, and he continued down the road. “Tell you what, once I get back to my time, you can do whatever you want with this thing.” 

“You’re really going to leave us?” 

“I told you, I left that life a long time ago.” 

“I’ve been told all my life about how time and time again you guys would always help those in need. That’s who you are; you can’t just ditch that!” 

“But what about Ganon—” 

“Listen! If there’s no one to stop him now, then another hero will be born later to do the job. Just pray that it will be within your lifetime.” 

The older Link sped up his pace. 

“But hundreds if not thousands of people might die until then! Innocent people!” 

The older Link ignored him, so Link tried to grab his arm to get the man to face him. Link was shoved to the ground and watched the man walk further away. Feeling hopeless, he hugged his legs and buried his head in his arms. There really was no hope, and here he was wasting his time. Everyone he knew was in danger. His village, his parents, he might lose them all. Link felt extremely anxious at the mere thought. He heard footsteps approach him, but he didn’t bother looking up. 

“What are you doing?” he heard the older Link ask. He only remained silent. “Are you seriously just going to sit there and pout like a four-year-old?” 

If words weren’t going to convince him to change his mind, then Link was going to have to come up with something else. He mustered up the most pitiful face that he could and looked up at the older Link. 

“Oh-ho, I know what you’re trying to do. That’s not going to work on me,” the older Link said. Link continued to stare at him. The older Link looked regretful but then frowned. He turned away and began talking to himself. “No! You will not give in! Do not let him win!” 

Link looked at him hopefully and slowly stood up. The older Link looked up and sighed loudly before turning back around to face Link. 

“Okay, fine, I’ll help.” 

Link gave a big smile and, without thinking, hugged the older Link. 

“Thank you!” 

There was a hesitant pat on his back before he gently pushed Link off of him. 

“Okay, that’s enough hugging for now. Come on, we got to find an inn before it gets too dark.” 

They walked back in the direction they came, and luckily, Macy was still there waiting for them. 

“Hey, since you’re really good with a sword, I was wondering if maybe you can teach me?” 

“Hey, I agreed to help save everyone, not to mentor some kid.” 

“Please?” 

“No.” 

“Ugh, fine. But if I die, I’m coming back to haunt you.” 

He rolled his eyes, and tossed Link the relic back to him. 

“Sooo, how did you wind up here exactly?” Link asked. 

“I don’t know. One minute I was about to eat lunch, and there was this weird light shining around me. I’ve seen plenty of strange things, but this was something else. Then, I was falling and landed in a lake.” 

If the older Link had been brought here, then could it be possible that others were too. Link didn’t get much time to dwell on the thought, because the older Link jumped up onto Macy’s saddle. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Speeding this up, now get on.” 

Link hoisted himself up behind the other man, who got the horse into a gallop. The two sped down toward the nearest village. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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